I hope everyone had a happy Maslenitsa. We did, with pancakes and buckwheat pancakes from flour, eggs, and milk and with maple syrup.
I'm happy I don't live in that region. But that could only happen if Mexico was a nuclear superpower.
But I do see your point since it does have historical significance for the Mexican people.
No misunderstandings. I am only an observer. But this gives me a unique opportunity to see the story from both sides. So maybe Vladimir Putin is the reincarnation of Ivan III.
When Ivan, in Muscovy, conquered the Republic of Novgorod, to the north, he cited suspicious associations with the West. Is that not exactly what Putin is saying about Ukraine?
Thousands were killed then, And that included any Boyars that had not fled to the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom.
By the way, thanks for the history. But I am well versed on the origins of Kievan Rus. It began in the Baltics with a Varangian Chieftan, named Rurik. He was invited to rule in Novgorod and his statue can be seen, today, in Veliky Novgorod.
The Veliky part caused some confusion, at first, but it is Veliky Ustyug that is home to Ded Moroz and Snegurochka... so many cities, histories, and names to keep track of...
When Rurik died, his kinsman, Oleg of Novgorod, became the new leader. I'm also aware of his conquests enroute to Kiev. All this was followed by Olegs sojourn to Byzantium, his desire to marry into royalty there, the selection of orthodox Christianity as a National religion, the creation of the Old Church Slavonic alphabet, and the baptisms of Vladimir the Great.
I am also versed in the history of the Mongol Invasion, in the thirteenth century, the beginnings of Tsarist Russia, the multi-national Boyars who became known as Cossaks and protected the Tsars, Lubyanka Square and the Insurance company building, the Oprichniki, the Cheka, Felix Dzerzhinsky, etc, etc.
To be honest, I wish the conflict in Ukraine could have ended on a happier note, in 2014. I also wish Iraq had not been bombed. But who can figure military strategists and I wonder if this is not more about Sergei Shoigu than Vladimir Putin...
Or even, considering the culture, Patriarch Kirill who also considers the West a threat...
In any event, my conclusions resemble a video you posted... Чего блять!?
As an American who loves Russian history, the language, and Russian culture, I will be watching this thread.